Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes might be the most intimidating pitcher in baseball. Between his size (6’6″, 260 pounds), velocity (100-plus mph) and overpowering stuff, he’s an opposing batter’s worst nightmare.
Skenes has been virtually unhittable since arriving in the Major Leagues last year. After tossing five scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, he owns a 1.89 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and a 10.5 K/9 rate through his first 38 career starts.
While facing Skenes is difficult for opposing hitters, it’s challenging for opposing pitchers, too. They know they need to be close to perfect when going against Skenes, who’s allowed two earned runs or less in 33 of his 38 starts.
One pitcher who’s not afraid of matching up with the Pirates ace, however, is Cubs rookie Cade Horton, who matched Skenes in a pitching duel at Wrigley Field on Friday.
While Pittsburgh ultimately prevailed 2-1 in 10 innings, Horton held his own against arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He bounced back from his first career loss with 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Pirates, holding them to three hits and one walk while striking out four.
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After the game, the 23-year-old rookie said he wasn’t nervous to face Skenes for the first time.
“I’m not scared of the moment. I love the moment,” Horton said during his postgame press conference. “Just going out there and competing. It’s all about one pitch.”
Horton backed up that claim on the mound, not allowing any runs in a start for the first time in his career.
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The former first-round draft pick has hit the ground running in his first season. Since debuting on May 10, he’s 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP over his first seven starts.
Not quite Skenes-level dominance, but still pretty good.
That type of confidence will serve Horton well in his career, especially in a huge market like Chicago. Pitchers need to be fearless on the mound, and Horton seems willing to rise to any occasion and any challenge.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images